The Four Laws of EcologyFormulated by physicist and ecologist, Barry

Commoner.

Source: http://emilymorash07.tripod.com/id12.html

1st Law: Everything is connected to

everything else

Humans and other species are connected (dependent) on a number of other species.

1st Law: Everything is connected to everything elseMaking connections:

1. What is the connection between the rise of McDonalds outlets in China and the massive deforestation in the Amazon forest in Brazil.

2. Take the Carbon footprint test:

http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

2nd Law: Everything must go somewhere

For example, when you burn wood, it doesn't disappear, it turns into smoke which rises into the air, and ash, which falls back down to the earth.

No matter what you do, and no matter what you use, it has to go somewhere.

3rd Law: Nature knows bestRead your article and write examples forLaw #3:

Mothers milk vs. milk formula http://video.answers.com/formula-vs-breast-milk-for-infants-169789702

Real food vs. vitamins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cti0dfsSEyY&feature=related

Pesticides vs. natural enemies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXvmrD99mMw

Wild (or prescribed) fires vs. stopping fireshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hQvxq5XC-E

Nature knows best: How the natural world is inspiring new innovations

• When we look at the world around us, we see what has survived the test of time. In other words, nature doesn't just show us results - it shows us the most optimal ideas available.

• As a result, scientists are creating more products that are inspired by nature.

The BlackBerry phone was inspired by a butterfly's

wing.

Nature-inspired designs

Bio-inspiration, also known as biomimicry, is a discipline that studies and learns from nature's best ideas to generate breakthrough products and technologies.

Solar Leaf

A Speedo swimsuit line

inspired by shark's skin

Nature knows best: How the natural world is inspiring new innovations

• Go to the Following Website for Examples: http://www.biotrue.com/world.html

http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/

A new car design

inspired by a boxfish

4th Law: “There is no such thing as a free lunch”

This law basically means you have to do something in order to get

something in return.OR

Everything has consequences.

Everything you do, must have a reason behind it.

For example, a “free” pizza party. In order to win the party, you have to fill out a survey.Survey info gets sold off… you get annoying texts from companies ….

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”

Because the global ecosystem is a connected whole, in which nothing can be gained or lost,

This ecological law embodies the previous 3 laws.

Payment of this price cannot be avoided; it can only be delayed.

anything extracted from it by human effortmust be replaced.

EXAMPLE #1: Tall smokestacks

• Tall stacks were originally designed to take local pollutants that resulted from manufacturing processes and put them just high enough into the atmosphere that they would be dispersed away from the local area.

The phrase used at the time to describe this process was “The solution to pollution is dilution.”

EXAMPLE: Tall smokestacksOver time, however, people in downwind locations complained that they were the victims of pollutants from elsewhere and they reacted politically to have the process stopped.

Hence, there was a call for the enforcement of a “polluter pays” principle: those causing the harm from pollution to others must pay for the cleanup and removal of the pollutants and the repair of their adverse impacts on the built as well as natural environment.

EXAMPLES: Things may seem free, but have hidden “costs”. HOW?

• Oil comes shooting out of the ground.

• Free phones with a 3 year plan.

• Oil comes shooting out of the ground.

• Free phones with a 3 year plan.

•Free samples at grocery stores. •Love. Admiration. Respect.

EXAMPLE #2: OIL• Oil comes shooting out of the ground. • It seems “free”, but it costs us. HOW?

Hidden Costs

Other examples:

• Free phones with a 3 year plan. • Free samples at grocery stores. • Love. Admiration. Respect.

Things may seem free, but have hidden “costs”.